The anticipation has built and built, and at last, “Infinite Arms” is here, via a gorgeous streaming audio player on their website.  I stayed up pretty late writing this, so bear with me if I ramble a bit.

Coming from a band whose debut was a no-questions-asked epic and who don’t even know what the term “sophomore slump” means, I didn’t expect this album to disappoint, and it didn’t.

Like a traditional Southern family, Infinite Arms is steeped in gentility, and will pull at your heartstrings with every listen.  It is easily the most polished album Band of Horses have offered up thus far, but at no point does it come across as being contrived or plastic.   Each song seems like the next natural step from the last, almost as if the band intended you to picture yourself ambling along with them somewhere in the woods of South Carolina, getting drunk on a single bottle of whiskey, talking about lost loves, family, life, great victories and bitter defeats.

Band of Horses really pull of an incredible feat with “Infinite Arms,” by releasing an album that pays homage to its predecessors yet moves in new and unexpected directions.  That said, the album also moves seamlessly through many different moods, providing the listener with songs they could listen to on both the best and worst of days.  Of all the different moods throughout the album, however, there is undeniably a common thread.  The fact is, though, that the common thread I write of is somewhat elusive.  I mean that as a compliment.  It entitles the listener to form their own interpretations of the music and attach their own emotions rather than the band telling them what to feel and when.

Evidence of that is abundant throughout the entire album, from the immense and almost rustic “Factory,” to the simple yet heartfelt “Evening Kitchen.”

“For Annabelle,” however, is easily the highlight of the album in my mind.  At the time of this writing, it has been thoroughly under-reviewed, and I thought it deserved a paragraph, if only here.  Haunting lines such as “The old folks wake up for the day/Seeing the monsters that linger from the past” cut through a mix of beautifully recorded guitars and organ.  Listening to this song, it dawned on me that if someone were to ask me what Band of Horses sounded like, I would have them listen to “For Annabelle.”  It is Southern, graceful, and filled with love.  This song alone is worth the full asking price of “Infinite Arms,” and then some.  If you haven’t heard it you need to, and if you have you know exactly what I’m talking about.  The song is simply that undeniable.

That is not to take any credit away from any of the other songs whatsoever.  On each one, you can hear the band honing their craft while at the same time allowing their sound to evolve.  It’s really a cool thing to see:  a band who refuses to get mired in their own formula but who doesn’t push the boundaries so far as to out and out shock the listener.

A good example here is “Dilly.”  A more upbeat number (and maybe echoing a little Elliott Smith influence?) that will maybe throw a listener or two off, it is nonetheless still very identifiable as a Band of Horses song.  The harmonization in “Dilly” is silky and gorgeous–it was enough for me to go back and listen again.  But, as soon as the more unusual “Dilly” ends, the band moves into the more solemn “Evening Kitchen,” which, again, displays their incredible capacity and talent to craft a vocal harmony.  Tyler and Ben move through the song with haunting results.  Raise your hand if you also got chills when you heard the “Got lost in the places I’ve been…” line.

Overall, Infinite Arms is an absolute tour de force of the best kind of music:  the kind that moves gracefully through several lyrical and musical approaches without getting in its own way and leaves the listener going back to his or her personal favorite time and time again for months and years to come.   It is engaging, and leaves you reeling.  From the first drum-roll in “Factory” to the last note in “Neighbors,” it is abundantly clear that this is not an album of singles and fillers, but rather a heartfelt effort by a band who is not afraid to wear its heart on its collective sleeve.

I really hope this album enjoys the success that it deserves.  It marks a certain moment in time for Band of Horses, as they climb closer and closer to well-deserved mainstream success without quite knowing just yet what it feels like.  Maybe that is explanation for some of the dichotomies on the album that you just read about.  Maybe not.  Either way, you can really tell their hearts are in it, and for the right reasons–one of the reasons I became a fan in the first place.